He Cares
by chickygurl
Summary: [one shot] When tied to a tree, Katara begins to realize that there's more to Prince Zuko than meets the eye. She realizes that he's human...


_The Last Airbender_ is not my creation, the people at the Nickelodeon Studios created it, but that will not stop me from making my own little episodes of excitement and romance.

_The only thing I own is the plot on your screen. If you plan to take my ideas and put them into your own fanfic, claiming to be your own mind that thought them up, get a hobby. Plagiarism is wrong, don't do it!_

**THIS HAS NO CONNECTION TO Unsuspecting Love OR** **Beware !**

Author: Chickygurl  
Rating: K  
Pairing: Prince Zuko / Katara  
Word Count: 2165  
Warnings: This is a one shot fanfic, which means that it will go no further than this.

* * *

"Try to understand, I need to capture him to restore something I've lost. My honor. Perhaps in exchange, I can restore something you've lost," he says and holds up a necklace up to my neck. My beloved lost necklace. A wave of relief flows over me as I see that it's safe. I don't know why I think it's safe but a gut feeling tells me that he wouldn't damage it. He knows it means too much. He cares.

"My mother's necklace..." I say to more myself than to him. He pulls it away and I feel empty again. "How did you get that?" He smirks at me and I frown disdainfully at him. What a jerk.

"I didn't steal it if that's what you're wondering," he says with a subtle laugh. He's mocking me because I stole the scroll. "Tell me where he is," he orders once more and points to me accusingly.

"No!" I yell and lean forward to show to him that I was not afraid. He opened his mouth to retort but the Captain of the pirates interferes. I sigh when I see he won't insist on Aang's whereabouts and lean back against the tree that I'm tied to. I can't help but glare at him. Was he always this...bitter?

"I wonder how much this is worth," I hear him say and I glance at his doings. He's holding the scroll over a flame and the pirates gasp in fear. I would have too, but I don't find that it's worth anything anymore. That scroll has given me nothing but trouble. I actually wish I would've never discovered it. He smirks at the group of ruthless men and an unfamiliar shiver travels up my spine.

He's handsome. He's tall and built like a warrior. I don't know why I never saw it before. Probably because I've been too busy running away from him that I don't have a chance to appreciate his good looks. My eyes travels to his scar and I frown. How did he get that? Was it an accident? I suddenly get an urge to ask him how he got it.

_Who gave that to you? ...Why?_

I fight back the feeling and notice that the pirtaes are gone. When did they leave? I mentally slap myself for not paying attention and I see him looking at me. I frown and look away. He walks my way and I feel butterflies in my stomach. I don't know why I do, but I do. He stops a couple paces away from me and I can feel his gaze on me.

"What?" I ask annoyed. I can't take it anymore.

He smirks at my uneasiness. "Nothing," he says simply and that annoys even more. He knows how to make me squirm and I hate it. I look at his golden eyes and take a moment to admire them secretly. He's looking into mine as well and I feel strangely uncomfortable.

"Go away," I say coldly and furrow my brow. A glint of sadness crosses his eyes before anger takes over. He glares at me and I return it gladly. I want to insult him but I can't bring myself to do it. It's not because I'm afraid but because I don't want to hurt him. He's not bad, I know he's not. If he was, he would've slapped, punched, burned, kicked, or God forbid...violated me already. I knows he's determined, but not determined enough to physically hurt me. He cares.

"So...is the Avatar your boyfriend or something?" he asks and I give him a dirty look.

"No," I say quickly and he smirks. He's mocking me silently. "He's not my boyfriend," I tell him harshly and his smirk gets bigger. I let out a grunt and I roll my eyes. He reminds me so much of Sokka. The annoying part of Sokka. Teenage boys are all the same. "Go away," I repeat and stomp my foot on the ground. Habit.

He continues to look at me and I feel a a nagging voice in the back of my mind. It's taunting me. This is his evil way of torturing me, I know. Mental abuse. I shake it away and look into his eyes. I see a sadness in them. A sort of rejection. Does he feel rejected? ...By me? I doubt it. I let out a breath of frustration and I want to insult him so badly. But I stop myself once again because something inside me tells me that he would be easily hurt.

"How old are you?" he inquires frigidly. His tone is military and I can't help but smile. He wants to hide his curiosity by covering it with a business-like facade.

"Why do you want to know?" I ask in an unintentional playful tone and look at the woods behind him. I need to take a break from those hypnotizing gold eyes.

"I don't _want_ to know. I need to know," he informs and places his hands behind his back. There he goes again. He's trying to hide his curiosity. Why is he afraid to be curious? I shrug and look at him again.

"Why do you need to know?" I ask and he growls in frustration. I smirk. Who's making who squirm now?

"Fine! If you don't want to tell me, don't!" He lost his patience and I feel a need to advice him.

"Patience is a virtue," I say quietly and he gives me a questioning look. "If you want to get information out of your prisoners you need to learn how to be patient. That's the only way to go." He glares at me and I hear a small 'humph' noise come from him, making me laugh softly. He's royalty alright. The mood seemed to change significantly. I feel more comfortable now. I look up at the sky and notice that it has a pink glow to it. The sun was beginning to rise. How long has it been? Have I been out here the entire night? I doubt it.

I look back down and I see him talking to an old man. Actually, more like arguing with him. I frown. Such disrespect. In my village, people wouldn't tolerate such things. You were suppose to respect your elders no matter what they said or did. "Forget your stupid tile!" I hear him yell and I shake my head in disapproval. I close my eyes and I begin to wonder...

Was he always like this?

Did he ever suspect that he would be tying girls to trees and using their own valuables against them? Did he ever think that he'd be chasing the Avatar? I gasp softly when I remember why he's chasing Aang in the first place. His honor. Can someone really take away your honor? I shake my head, answering my own question. Nobody can take away your honor. Honor stands for loyalty, honesty, and kindness. The only way to lose your honor is if your stop being loyal, honest, and kind. Nobody can make you stop being like that, right? I open my eyes and yelp in surprise when I see him in front of me. His eyes boring into mine. I growl. "Could you be any ruder?" I ask and he smirks.

"Yes," he answers coldly. I frown for the hundredth time that night and sigh. I have no way of telling if he's loyal, honest, or kind. It's frustrating. I want to tell him that he's been living a lie. I want to tell him that nobody could take his honor away but something stops me.

He'll find out in his own time.

"I don't hate you," I say randomly and his eyes widen significantly. He's obviously taken aback by my remark and so am I. Why did I say that? To comfort him? Why would he need comforting? He could careless if I hate him or not, right? His gaze softens and I offer him a warm smile. I notice him hesitate about something and I wait patiently to see what he'll do.

"Why?" he asks and I shrug. I didn't know the answer. Why don't I hate him? He's been chasing my best friend for months. He's tied me to a tree and used my own necklace to bribe me. His people killed my mother. He's threatened to hurt me and my brother endless times. Why _don't_ I hate him? ...Because he cares.

He looks at me, waiting for my response and I hesitate. "Because..." I say and hang my head. "I know you don't want this anymore than I do." I hear him sigh and I look up at him. He's having an argument with himself. I know he is, I can see it in those eyes. Does the Fire Lord have those eyes? No. Those eyes couldn't be from someone heartless. They're from his mother. I know.

"How do you know?" he asks and I glare at him momentarily. How could he ask such a ridiculous question? Of course he doesn't. I know he doesn't want to spend his youth chasing a twelve year old boy. I know he doesn't want to spend his youth being feared by the whole world. Does he honestly believe that I'll fall for that? I sigh. He wants to look heartless, like his father. Poor fool.

"You're not your father," I respond and shrink back against the tree. Those words got to him and I saw the anger growing within him. I try to calm him. "Stop trying to be something you're not." That just angers him more and I mentally kick myself. I'm obviously not very good at pep talks. His hands are glowing and the comfortable atmosphere that once surrounded us disappeared. My insides shrivel up and I turn my head to the side and close my blue eyes, expecting pain at any moment. Then, I hear a soothing voice in the back of my mind. He won't hurt me. He cares.

It's quiet for a few moments before I hear him speak. "I hate you," he says coolly and I turn my head to look at him. I observe his eyes. He doesn't. I see the familiar determination but now I see a new emotion emerging. I can't make out what it is, but I KNOW it's not hate. This new emotion is heart warming. I smile inside and I notice that he feels uncomfortable. He wanted to hurt me by telling me that he hates me, but he knows that I know that he doesn't.

"Prove it," I challenge and smirk. He growls and leans closer to me. Our faces are but a mere two inches apart. I feel his warm breath on my face and I panic. I can't help but fear the closeness between us. I swallow a lump in my throat and he senses the uneasiness that I feel. He leans closer to me and I look down at his lips, expecting them to touch mine at any moment. I feel helpless and violated. Luckily, he moves back to his original position and I let out a long breath of relief.

"You thought I was going to kiss you," he taunts and I glare at him. Where was he getting at? Of course I thought that. That was his intention, but he changed his mind. Does he think he can fool me that easily?

"You were, but you changed your mind. You knew that wouldn't be right," I say and glance at the sky. It was blue now. He stomps on the ground and I smile, finding the act endearing. For some reason, I think that brought us closer. We have the same habit. We both stomp when we're frustrated. "I still don't hate you," I repeat, not knowing why. Something told me to reassure him about that. I'm weird.

"Stop saying that!" he yells and steps away from me. He's afraid. I saw it. Just now. His face showed me fear. I smile. So the Prince can be afraid. I shake my head in confusion. I don't understand his emotions. Why is he afraid to know that I don't hate him. Could it be perhaps because he's scared to actually...care about...me? I shake my head and see him staring at me like I've gone mad.

I look at him more closely and feel my heart beat faster. "I'm never going to hate you," I say softly and I know that those words touched him. "There's nothing you can do that will change that." He looks at me with awe and I look away. I can't take the closeness I feel with him. I want the Earth to swallow me. He continues to look at me and I refuse to look at those eyes again. I sense him walking away without any words and I think about those eyes. Golden and determined. Full of emotion. They scare me. Why?

Because the person who owns them...cares.

* * *

I was bored so I decided to write this. I've always wondered what happened between Zuko and Katara during the time that the pirates left. I think this is a possibility. Okay well, I'll go and return to my other fanfic. 

**REVIEW PLEASE!**


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